Posts Tagged ‘tackle’

Bobbers are some of the most popular fishing tackle ever. They’re easy to use (and easy to use incorrectly!), inexpensive, and perfect for a multitude of fishing conditions. Don’t let the bright colors fool you into thinking bobbers are only for kids!

3 Advantages To Using A Bobber

1. You can float your bait in the middle of the water column. Unless you’re boat fishing, it’s pretty difficult to suspend your bait 5 feet off the bottom and 5 feet down from the surface of the water WITHOUT using a bobber.
2. You can see if a fish is interested in your bait. When a fish has your bait, the bobber might start “swimming” in a direction, jerk, or completely disappear! How great is it to not only FEEL the line moving but also see evidence that a fish is interested in the bait!
3. Bobbers can make it easier to cast out. Contrary to popular belief, having additional weight on your line usually makes it easier to cast your line. Having more weight means your line will cast farther, with more accuracy, and be less likely to be blown off course mid-cast.

Types Of Bobbers

Ball Bobbers
Ball bobbers are those iconic read & white bobbers that always seem to come with the Snoopy fishing pole kiddie kit. But don’t underestimate their value! Ball bobbers range in size from small enough to catch little sunfish to large enough to fish for Northern Pike (and suspend a 10 inch bait minnow!)

The ball bobber has a spring-loaded button on the top. When the full button is pressed down it releases a wire hook at the bottom of the bobber. If the button is pushed down around the edges, just the button goes into the body of the bobber and the wire hook at the top of the bobber is revealed. Place your line through BOTH hooks and the bobber is fixed into position — perfect for fishing at 5 feet off the bottom!

Pencil Bobbers or Stick Bobbers
Pencil bobbers are the longest and thinnest bobbers. They also might have a bulge in the center of the bobber (round or egg shaped.) Like a ball bobber, a pencil bobber clips directly to the fishing line, but the pencil bobber only has one clasp. If the bobber is weighted on one end (typical) then the bobber floats upright in the water. If the bobber isn’t weighted, then it will float horizontally in the water and will stand upright when the fish pulls on the hook.

Slip Bobbers
Slip bobbers are used when an angler is fishing in deep water. Slip bobbers are also perfect for when you need to change the depth of your bait frequently. Slip bobbers have a hole through the center so they can slide up and down the fishing line. There is usually a small knot tied on the fishing line to stop the bobber from sliding up the line. Whatever the distance is between the bobber stop and the hook is the depth at which the hook will hang.

How To Use A Bobber

The first thing on your line (closest to the pole) will be your bobber. When you clip it on, pull about 5 feet of line off the tip of your pole and attach the bobber. You can adjust the length of the line based on where the fish are AND how much line you can handle to cast out. I recommend having the bobber a bit closer to the hook until you learn how to cast it out! (Speaking from experience here!)

Then, you’ll want some weights. I typically put my weights about 12-15 inches away from the hook. You can use clam shell weights that clip to the line or slip sinkers. You want enough weight to suspend the line below the bobber, but not enough to drag the bobber under!

Lastly, you’ll want your baited hook. Make sure you have enough bait to just cover the hook. Much more and a fish will just eat around the hook and leave the hook hanging there! (Again, speaking from experience!)

When you cast out, let the bobber settle, and then reel in so there is very little slack in your line. Too much slack and the breeze will move the bobber. And if you have too much slack, you won’t be able to set your hook when the bobber does go under. You want the line slack free, but not so tight that the bobber is floating at your feet!

5 Final Bobber Tips

1. Size matters. You want to choose the smallest bobber that will float your bait and a weight. The smaller a bobber is the more sensitive it is and the less chance a fish can feel or see it. If the bobber sinks after you cast it out, you have too much weight on it. If this happens use less weight or a bigger bobber.

2. Make sure it’s attached! I can’t count the number of times I’ve seen somebody cast out their line only to have the bobber and line part company mid-air. When you’re casting 25-30 feet off shore, there’s no way you’ll swim out to retrieve a bobber!

3. Start Inexpensive But Quality. I recommend buying ONE high quality bobber. Don’t get the most expensive bobber but stay away from the cheapies too. You want a bobber that is well made enough to perform as it’s supposed to, but not so expensive you’ll never take it out of the tackle box. (Or yell if you lose it!)

4. Bobber Colors. Colors don’t matter at all to performance or to the fish. They do matter to the angler though! Some colors are easier to see in some lighting conditions. I recommend buying your favorite bobber style in a multitude of colors and sizes.

5. Cut Off Your Line. Since the bobber attaches to the line in one form or another, you always run the risk of shredding the fishing line. Most tears are too small to see with the naked eye and only become apparent when your line breaks as you’re trying to land a MONSTER fish. I recommend removing the last 6-10 feet after ever fishing trip anyway since you can’t see any damage caused by bobbers, rocks, or weeds.

Readers Weigh In:

• Do you ever fish with a bobber?
• What is your favorite bobber style?
• What tips do you have for fishing with a bobber?

I was supposed to be able to report on how our Homemade Fishing Baits did at Ashurst Lake on last weekend’s camping trip. But I can’t! When I got to Flagstaff I found out that all the trout in Ashurst Lake have been eaten by Northern Pike.

Yuck!

Since all my baits were pretty much for any fish species BUT pike, I have to save that until I can fish a local lake. So I will tell you how my 5 homemade fishing baits perform, but not until I can test them out!

Frankly I’ve never fished for Northern Pike before. I’ve caught one or two on accident, though!

ESP Boss’ friend and hunting partner, Dave, had come up to visit my folks just before I got to camp. Dave has fished for pike before and offered us these suggestions:

Supplies

• Use at least 10-pound-test fishing line. (I actually set up a different rod & reel for pike, since I fish for trout on my lightweight pole with 4-pound test line)
• Use steel leaders when fishing for pike. (I did know that part!) Unlike trout, pike have big, sharp and scary teeth that can bite right through a traditional monofilament leader.
  

  Leaders come in different weights and lengths.

• Buy whole, frozen anchovies as bait. You’ll want to keep them frozen until you’re ready to stick them on a hook! (Be sure the lake you’re fishing at allows for this type of bait — some fishing areas will only allow artificial baits!)
  

  Whole, frozen anchovies are available at sporting goods stores.

Attaching The Bait

(Now this is so gross, I didn’t take photos when I was at the lake!)

1. Using a good-sized hook (hook size depends on the size of the anchovy and the size of the Northern Pike you want to catch!) thread the hook through both eyes. Pull all the leader through the eyes until the head of the fish is nearly at the start of the fishing line.
2. Wrap the leader around the body of the anchovy, moving from the head toward the tail. Be careful not to draw the leader so tight as to cut or damage the body of the anchovy.
3. Thread the hook back into the body of the anchovy. Make sure most of the hook (especially the barb) is buried in the body of the anchovy.
   

   Pretend this is an anchovy! The black "hook" is about where I shoved the hook into the body of the bait-fish.

4. Cast your line out and pray that the whole thing doesn’t fly off in mid-air!

Since I had never fished for Northern Pike before I wasn’t sure if the whole set-up would work or not. I was able to cast the whole rig out without losing the bait. And I was really pleased to see how FAR the cast went since I’m not really used to tossing that much weight out at the end of the line.

Did it work?

I didn’t get a single nibble! When we were ready to call it a day (cold, windy, and raining) I pulled in my bait to find that a crayfish or three had stripped all the flesh from my anchovy and left me with just a skeleton.

What About You?

• Have you ever fished for Northern Pike?
• What bait did you use?
• Have you ever heard this technique that Dave shared with us? Did it work for you?

I’m heading off for a long weekend of camping, fishing, and geocaching today. One of my favorite lakes near Flagstaff is Ashurst Lake. Just looking at the lake, you can tell that it is a volcanic rock depression that was dammed to form the lake. (There are few natural lakes in Arizona!)

What that means is that the lakebed is full of jagged volcanic rocks that are only interested in one thing:

Snagging my tackle and dragging it to the watery depths, never to be seen again!

3 Tips For Fishing Rocky Lakes

Tip #1:

You know the feeling: something just nibbled your bait and you want to make sure it’s still there. In a rocky lake, resist the urge to reel in slowly, thinking of course, that a trout can’t resist a moving target. What happens when you reel in slowly is that your weights and bait are on the lake bottom and can easily fall into the crevices between rocks and become trapped. If you reel in quickly and steadily, the weights and bait will rise above the lake bottom and minimize the chances to get snagged.

Tip #2:

Okay, it happened: your line is caught in something under the water and you want your tackle back! The first thing is to reel in any slack so your line is tight, but your pole isn’t bending. Then, walk up the shore, keeping the tension on your line, while you jerk your line up and down. (When I say ‘jerk’ I mean using abrupt motions, I don’t mean trying to rip your tackle out of the water!) If that doesn’t work, try releasing the line and then reeling in again. And the last part of the tip: with the line tight, hold your rod parallel to the ground and gently pull backwards. As soon as you feel the rocky lake bottom give up your tackle, follow Tip #1!

Tip #3:

There’s no avoiding it, you’re going to lose your bait and all your tackle; you just can’t get it unstuck. Well, believe it or not, there’s a right way to break your line. Instead of jerking and pulling on your line until it snaps, you’re going to have to cut it. First, release the line and set your pole up on the shore where you’re not going to step on the tip. (I like to prop my pole against my chair- way out of the way and safe.)

Then, get as close to the water as you can, bend down and grab your line. (If you squat or kneel at the edge of the water, you’re less likely to fall in!) Reaching out, pull your line towards you and, as close to the water as possible, cut the line. Be sure to check your line for fraying and signs of stress before putting any more tackle on.

Some great cutting tools are a pair of fingernail clippers, a pocket knife with scissors, or needle nose pliers.

Oh, you might also want to consider moving to a new bit of shore- if there’s a tackle-eating-snag down there, it will be after your new tackle for dessert to the first set it ate!

Readers Weigh In:

• What type of lakes do you fish? (Rocky, weedy, sandy, etc)
• What are your suggestions for getting your line out of the snags?

For the first video from The Outdoor Princess Productions I’ll be teaching you how to tie one of the most commonly used fishing knots. But, before I can teach you how to tie this knot, there are a couple of things you need to know!

Anatomy of a Fish Hook

A fish hook has 7 fundamental parts. Hooks come in various forms, sizes, and applications. As always, it is necessary to know the advantages and disadvantages of different hooks, and to know what it the correct hook for the species you are after.

1. The eye is where the fishing line is attached.
2. The sharp part of the fish hook pointing upward is called the point.
3. The small sharp protrusion immediately below the point is termed as barb. Be extremely careful with the barb. It is very sharp and pointed backwards so it will remain embedded in the fish. It can also embed in your clothing, skin, eyes, or weeds and other debris.
4. The gap is the distance from the point of the hook to the shank.
5. The shank is the straight part of the hook.
6. When the hook is in an upright position, the bend corresponds to its bottom part.
7. The distance from the gap to the bend is called the throat.

Hook Sizes Explained

Have you ever read a fishing tip that says something like: “The best hook sizes to use are between #8 and #16″?

If you’re like me, then when you need a #8 size hook, you just flip  open the tackle box and grab one from the package labeled #8. (Or, head to the store and buy a #8 hook!)

Have you ever wondered WHY a #8 is a #8? Here’s your answer!

There is no world or industry standard method of measuring hooks, but here in the US, the measures go from the smallest size 32 (which is barely large enough to hold between two fingers) and count down. As the number decreases, the size increases all the way down to a number 1 hook.

At this point the number changes to a designation of “aughts” or zeroes. A 1/0 (pronounced “one aught”) hook is the next larger size to a number 1. A 2/0 is larger still, and this numbering scheme goes as high as 19/0.

Hook size should be the first thing an angler thinks of when buying hooks. (The second thing is which hook is the right size for the fish you’re after.) Sizes from most manufacturers range from the very smallest freshwater trout hook at a number 32, to the very largest game fish hook at 19/0.

Now you’re ready for the video!